Edmunds Comparo - BMW 1M turbo vs Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 HEMI
06-30-2011, 01:24 AM
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Edmunds Comparo - BMW 1M turbo vs Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 HEMI When Brawn Battles Brains, We Win
We could spend all day on the differences, but they're both rear-drive hot rods priced right around $50K.
By Mike Magrath, Associate Editor | Published Jun 27, 2011
This comparison test between the 470-horsepower, 6.4-liter 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 and the 335-hp, 3.0-liter twin-turbo 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe is intentionally not apples to apples. And so what?
When was the last time you stood, bleary-eyed and groggy, drinking a watery coffee at some breakfast buffet deciding between a Red Delicious and a Granny Smith? In real-world breakfast decisions the hand wanders between what you should eat — the apples — and doughnuts. Warm, frosted, delicious doughnuts.
Challenger versus 1 Series M Coupe is not a comparison that can be solved by rubric, pyramid or with beans on a scale. For this comparison test we've abandoned the normal battery of charts and forms and taken a breakfast buffet approach to the dilemma. This time we drive, test and debate the cars with one question in mind: If our uncle Harold died and left us $50,000 with the specific instructions to buy something fun, which car would end up in our garage?
M Coupe vs. Challenger? What?
Do suspension, wheels and a tune an M car make? White with big blue stripes. Do not expect anonymity with the Challenger.
Whatever we'd buy with our windfall, it would have to be special. It would have to be limited edition (both of these cars are, with only 1,000 M Coupes and 1,100 Inaugural Edition 392s available). It would have to be fast, have a manual transmission, drive the rear wheels and it damned well better be a coupe.
The $49,585 as-equipped 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe was the obvious first pick. It's all-new: a shorter, lighter, smaller more nimble M car in the vein of the E30 M3 that lured many of us to the Bavarian brand.
Its 335-hp 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6 sends power to the ground through a slick six-speed manual transmission and a pair of 265/35ZR19 Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s. Gearchanges don't happen with the rifle quickness of some straight-line-specific cars, but the feel and precision is there. Get everything just right and the 1 Series M Coupe blows past 60 in 4.5 seconds (4.3 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like at a drag strip) and powers through the quarter-mile in 12.9 seconds at 107.7 mph. You don't need all the power in the world when you weigh 3,346 pounds.
Speaking of All the Power in the World...
You didn't think we'd skip the burnouts, did you? Yeah, the Challenger will do 'em, too.
The 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 has it. We're talking about 470 hp and 470 pound-feet of torque from a naturally aspirated 6.4-liter pushrod V8. Four-hundred-and-seventy horsepower! Do you remember when the Viper didn't even have 470 hp? Or when the Corvette didn't? Oh...wait.
So it has a 135-hp advantage over the 1M, but the Challenger also weighs 4,257 pounds. No surprise then that it produces remarkably similar numbers at the drag strip: 4.7 seconds to 60 (4.4 seconds with rollout) and 12.9 seconds to the 1,320-foot mark with a trap speed of 111.0 mph. Wheelspin, unsurprisingly, is a problem when trying to twist 255/45ZR20 Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires. So is wheel hop.
If the Road's A-Windin'...Just Give It Up
What's that? A 1 Series? Cute. When it does catch up, the Challenger is a menacing site in any rearview mirror.
Features, feel, looks and personal preferences on these two can be debated eternally, but there's one area where a clear winner emerges: Handling.
It's hardly surprising, then, that the smallest U.S.-market BMW wearing M3 shoes and suspension and packing a power upgrade by M is the standout on mountain roads. It responds to every input instantly and predictably. The biggest challenge is trying to stay below double the posted speed limit.
Traditionally when running the canyons of Southern California the faster car is the one with the faster driver. That theory doesn't apply here. Put your mom in the 1 Series M Coupe and she'll be at the lookout on Mulholland so far ahead of you and the Challenger that she'll have time for tea and her arthritis medicine. With M Dynamic Mode enabled, wheelspin and slip angle are expertly controlled, and driving fast — insanely, stupid fast — is an exercise in precision only available in a carefully metered instrument like an M car.
The 2011 Dodge Challenger's steering, quickened for 2011, is still too slow for roads with actual corners, and the big boat feels a full 3 feet wider than the 1. Count on sawing at the wheel like a ship's captain as the M Coupe disappears into the mountains.
These observations were validated by our track testing, which saw the M Coupe and its wider Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s sneak through our slalom at 71.3 mph. The Challenger leaned and clawed its way to a 66.6-mph run on Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires. The drubbing continued on the skid pad, where the M circled at 0.96g vs. the Challenger's otherwise respectable 0.91g performance.
Its size and power mean the M Coupe is built for carving corners and shaving apexes while the larger, heavier Challenger fishtails heroically a quarter-mile behind. But hey, powerslides are fun. Really fun.
No Regrets
Like every other BMW shifter, this one feels about as good as can be. The pistol-grip shifter feels cool whether you're drag racing or using the 1-4 skip shift while commuting.
It's easy to get lost in the minutiae of the data when fast cars are involved. The passionless results of weather-corrected track testing and the calculated weighing of feature against feature are a slap in the face to car guys everywhere. Some cars are just special even if the spec sheet doesn't tally up. And it doesn't add up in favor of the Dodge in this case.
But the unmeasurables do.
You're hooked to the Dodge from the second the start button is pressed. It erupts with a rock and a wobble from 6.4 liters of American iron. The whole car twitches and dips in response to a stab at the throttle. In that respect it's not unlike the utterly raw Challenger Super Stock drag car we raced a few years ago, except with this one you can terrorize the drag strip and your daily commute.
Maybe it's the size or the bright white paint and blue stripes, maybe it's that the 392 is an American car in Santa Monica, or maybe it's that we'd been revving the engine without moving for 9 minutes. Whatever the cause, any time a Prius driver flips you off, it's a win in our book. And it's the kind of win you'll never get in an M car.
Livability also goes to the Dodge. Its seats blend long-haul comfort with competent bolstering. The new dampers erase the old car's floaty ride and replace it with well-balanced firmness and compliance. Sixth gear at 70 works out to only 1,600 rpm in the Challenger, while the M Coupe churns at 2,250. There's also the twitchy ride and droning tire howl at speeds above 50. Don't forget, you're going to drive the M Coupe to those racetracks where it is so dominant.
These inconveniences are the price you pay for track focus.
We could spend all day on the differences, but they're both rear-drive hot rods priced right around $50K.
By Mike Magrath, Associate Editor | Published Jun 27, 2011
This comparison test between the 470-horsepower, 6.4-liter 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 and the 335-hp, 3.0-liter twin-turbo 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe is intentionally not apples to apples. And so what?
When was the last time you stood, bleary-eyed and groggy, drinking a watery coffee at some breakfast buffet deciding between a Red Delicious and a Granny Smith? In real-world breakfast decisions the hand wanders between what you should eat — the apples — and doughnuts. Warm, frosted, delicious doughnuts.
Challenger versus 1 Series M Coupe is not a comparison that can be solved by rubric, pyramid or with beans on a scale. For this comparison test we've abandoned the normal battery of charts and forms and taken a breakfast buffet approach to the dilemma. This time we drive, test and debate the cars with one question in mind: If our uncle Harold died and left us $50,000 with the specific instructions to buy something fun, which car would end up in our garage?
M Coupe vs. Challenger? What?
Do suspension, wheels and a tune an M car make? White with big blue stripes. Do not expect anonymity with the Challenger.
Whatever we'd buy with our windfall, it would have to be special. It would have to be limited edition (both of these cars are, with only 1,000 M Coupes and 1,100 Inaugural Edition 392s available). It would have to be fast, have a manual transmission, drive the rear wheels and it damned well better be a coupe.
The $49,585 as-equipped 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe was the obvious first pick. It's all-new: a shorter, lighter, smaller more nimble M car in the vein of the E30 M3 that lured many of us to the Bavarian brand.
Its 335-hp 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-6 sends power to the ground through a slick six-speed manual transmission and a pair of 265/35ZR19 Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s. Gearchanges don't happen with the rifle quickness of some straight-line-specific cars, but the feel and precision is there. Get everything just right and the 1 Series M Coupe blows past 60 in 4.5 seconds (4.3 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like at a drag strip) and powers through the quarter-mile in 12.9 seconds at 107.7 mph. You don't need all the power in the world when you weigh 3,346 pounds.
Speaking of All the Power in the World...
You didn't think we'd skip the burnouts, did you? Yeah, the Challenger will do 'em, too.
The 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 has it. We're talking about 470 hp and 470 pound-feet of torque from a naturally aspirated 6.4-liter pushrod V8. Four-hundred-and-seventy horsepower! Do you remember when the Viper didn't even have 470 hp? Or when the Corvette didn't? Oh...wait.
So it has a 135-hp advantage over the 1M, but the Challenger also weighs 4,257 pounds. No surprise then that it produces remarkably similar numbers at the drag strip: 4.7 seconds to 60 (4.4 seconds with rollout) and 12.9 seconds to the 1,320-foot mark with a trap speed of 111.0 mph. Wheelspin, unsurprisingly, is a problem when trying to twist 255/45ZR20 Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires. So is wheel hop.
If the Road's A-Windin'...Just Give It Up
What's that? A 1 Series? Cute. When it does catch up, the Challenger is a menacing site in any rearview mirror.
Features, feel, looks and personal preferences on these two can be debated eternally, but there's one area where a clear winner emerges: Handling.
It's hardly surprising, then, that the smallest U.S.-market BMW wearing M3 shoes and suspension and packing a power upgrade by M is the standout on mountain roads. It responds to every input instantly and predictably. The biggest challenge is trying to stay below double the posted speed limit.
Traditionally when running the canyons of Southern California the faster car is the one with the faster driver. That theory doesn't apply here. Put your mom in the 1 Series M Coupe and she'll be at the lookout on Mulholland so far ahead of you and the Challenger that she'll have time for tea and her arthritis medicine. With M Dynamic Mode enabled, wheelspin and slip angle are expertly controlled, and driving fast — insanely, stupid fast — is an exercise in precision only available in a carefully metered instrument like an M car.
The 2011 Dodge Challenger's steering, quickened for 2011, is still too slow for roads with actual corners, and the big boat feels a full 3 feet wider than the 1. Count on sawing at the wheel like a ship's captain as the M Coupe disappears into the mountains.
These observations were validated by our track testing, which saw the M Coupe and its wider Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s sneak through our slalom at 71.3 mph. The Challenger leaned and clawed its way to a 66.6-mph run on Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires. The drubbing continued on the skid pad, where the M circled at 0.96g vs. the Challenger's otherwise respectable 0.91g performance.
Its size and power mean the M Coupe is built for carving corners and shaving apexes while the larger, heavier Challenger fishtails heroically a quarter-mile behind. But hey, powerslides are fun. Really fun.
No Regrets
Like every other BMW shifter, this one feels about as good as can be. The pistol-grip shifter feels cool whether you're drag racing or using the 1-4 skip shift while commuting.
It's easy to get lost in the minutiae of the data when fast cars are involved. The passionless results of weather-corrected track testing and the calculated weighing of feature against feature are a slap in the face to car guys everywhere. Some cars are just special even if the spec sheet doesn't tally up. And it doesn't add up in favor of the Dodge in this case.
But the unmeasurables do.
You're hooked to the Dodge from the second the start button is pressed. It erupts with a rock and a wobble from 6.4 liters of American iron. The whole car twitches and dips in response to a stab at the throttle. In that respect it's not unlike the utterly raw Challenger Super Stock drag car we raced a few years ago, except with this one you can terrorize the drag strip and your daily commute.
Maybe it's the size or the bright white paint and blue stripes, maybe it's that the 392 is an American car in Santa Monica, or maybe it's that we'd been revving the engine without moving for 9 minutes. Whatever the cause, any time a Prius driver flips you off, it's a win in our book. And it's the kind of win you'll never get in an M car.
Livability also goes to the Dodge. Its seats blend long-haul comfort with competent bolstering. The new dampers erase the old car's floaty ride and replace it with well-balanced firmness and compliance. Sixth gear at 70 works out to only 1,600 rpm in the Challenger, while the M Coupe churns at 2,250. There's also the twitchy ride and droning tire howl at speeds above 50. Don't forget, you're going to drive the M Coupe to those racetracks where it is so dominant.
These inconveniences are the price you pay for track focus.
06-30-2011, 01:25 AM
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Six vs. Eight
BMW. Inline-6. Turbos. Direct injection. 335 horsepower. It works. Dodge. V8. Pushrods. Big Displacement. 470 horsepower. Drool.
The new 6.4-liter doesn't rest on a baritone idle, though. This engine sings through the entire rev range. We remember the days when overhead-valve V8s would begin to choke at 5,000 rpm and demand a shift shortly thereafter. Those days are long gone and it's easy to let the siren song of 470 hp crash into the 392's 6,250-rpm rev limiter, tires ablaze. And every time you do, you giggle just a little bit.
The 2011 BMW M Coupe? It starts, runs, accelerates and idles like a vacuum. Sure, it's an expensive, exacting vacuum built by a team of engineers who fully understand sucking. And in the end it's a masterful machine carefully calibrated for sucking precision. But it's so focused on sucking that it's virtually emotionless. Even its burnouts are antiseptic.
A casual conversation between editors sealed its fate:
"You should drive the M Coupe before it goes away. It's good. Really good."
"I've got meetings all day and something for the kid tonight. Will I have any fun driving it home? I don't have time for Mulholland."
"Nah. Unless you drive it hard on the right road it's no different than a 135."
"OK, I'll take the Challenger."
Eat up, Fatty
While it can do twisty mountain roads, the Challenger isn't drawn to them like the 1 M.
At the end of the breakfast buffet, you don't have to explain to anyone why you took the apple. Nobody cares about apples. The 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe is like that. It's the safe answer to a singular problem. It's extremely fast and immensely effective as a driving tool. And when you appreciate it on those terms, there are precious few cars as good.
And that's precisely the problem. You'll need no terms to appreciate the 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8. No racetrack, no mountain road, no measuring instruments, nothing but a heavy right foot. It's as far from a sterile expression of speed as can be created. It's loud, raw, unapologetically American and as quick as the M Coupe in the quarter-mile. It is speed and charisma.
And the explanation for why you bought it? Well, which do you prefer...apples or doughnuts?
1st Place: 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392
The Challenger is an exercise in gratuity — all passion and no poise. And sometimes that's better than raw numbers.
2nd Place: 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe
The M Coupe is capable of wicked speed and is superbly calculated and precise. It is why we put words between the numbers.
Track Test Results
2011 BMW 1 Series M
As-tested MSRP $49,585
0-30 mph (sec.) 1.9
0-45 mph (sec.) 3.2
0-60 mph (sec.) 4.5
0-75 mph (sec.) 6.6
1/4-mile (sec. @ mph) 12.9 @ 107.7
30-0 mph (ft.) 25
60-0 mph (ft.) 103
Slalom, 6 x 100 ft. (mph) 71.3
Skid pad, 200-ft. diameter (lateral g) 0.96
Acceleration Comments - Dropping the clutch at 2,500 rpm provided the best launch with only a minor bit of wheelspin, and then the tires hooked up and I could very quickly feed in full throttle. Short-shifted at 6,000 (even though redline is 7,000) as the twin-turbo runs out of steam up high. The six-speed manual gearbox allows for incredibly quick, buttery-smooth, error-free shifts every time.
Braking Comments - Superb stopping every time. Pedal has very firm feel and a short stroke. The 1 M exhibits only a minimal amount of dive and tracks perfectly straight. Very little tire squeal or ABS commotion; short stops and no fade.
Handling Comments - Skid pad: The 1 M Coupe goes inot a slight understeer mode around the skid pad, and surprisingly the chassis was not as willing to change this attitude via drop-throttle as would be expected. Yet the time was quick, and the grip is obviously excellent. Steering is quick and has a good weighting. Slalom: This car makes entering the slalom at 70 mph seem like no big deal. The 1 M is very composed, using its plentiful front grip to get around the cones. It's quite the slalom car, due to all that adhesion as well as its short wheelbase and relative narrowness. At least compared to, say a Dodge Challenger. The 1 M was equally adept using the MDM setting, with just a bit of brake added by the computer to keep the car in line. Without doubt, this is a very well-engineered car.
2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8
As-tested MSRP $47,565
0-30 mph (sec.) 2.1
0-45 mph (sec.) 3.2
0-60 mph (sec.) 4.7
0-75 mph (sec.) 6.6
1/4-mile (sec. @ mph) 12.9 @ 111.0
30-0 mph (ft.) 26
60-0 mph (ft.) 106
Slalom, 6 x 100 ft. (mph) 66.6
Skid pad, 200-ft. diameter (lateral g) 0.91
Acceleration Comments - Difficult car to launch cleanly and consistently. It wants to either spin or wheel hop. Best run came with a 2,300-rpm launch, progressive clutch take-up with minor initial wheelspin and almost zero hop. Six-speed manual gearbox was better than expected, with positive, though slightly long throws, but willing to be shifted quickly. I had to be careful not to run into harsh rev limiter, though.
Braking Comments - Long pedal travel with spongy feel; neither aspect improved or worsened. The Challenger tracks straight but there's a lot of ABS commotion and it feels like the ABS lets the tires slide more than usual. Still, very short stops and no fade.
Handling Comments - Skid pad: Steering is woefully inadequate. Very light and gives little feedback about the front tires. But the front tires exhibited lots of grip, especially for such a big and heavy car. ESC on cut throttle aggressively. Slalom: Maybe because we ran the BMW first and the Challenger second, but this particular 392 just didn't feel quite as tight as the automatic version we tested several months ago. Steering is slow and overboosted, and the sheer width of the Challenger makes it a, you guessed it -- challenge -- to get around the course without clipping any cones. The grip is there, but the suspension and steering are not.
BMW. Inline-6. Turbos. Direct injection. 335 horsepower. It works. Dodge. V8. Pushrods. Big Displacement. 470 horsepower. Drool.
The new 6.4-liter doesn't rest on a baritone idle, though. This engine sings through the entire rev range. We remember the days when overhead-valve V8s would begin to choke at 5,000 rpm and demand a shift shortly thereafter. Those days are long gone and it's easy to let the siren song of 470 hp crash into the 392's 6,250-rpm rev limiter, tires ablaze. And every time you do, you giggle just a little bit.
The 2011 BMW M Coupe? It starts, runs, accelerates and idles like a vacuum. Sure, it's an expensive, exacting vacuum built by a team of engineers who fully understand sucking. And in the end it's a masterful machine carefully calibrated for sucking precision. But it's so focused on sucking that it's virtually emotionless. Even its burnouts are antiseptic.
A casual conversation between editors sealed its fate:
"You should drive the M Coupe before it goes away. It's good. Really good."
"I've got meetings all day and something for the kid tonight. Will I have any fun driving it home? I don't have time for Mulholland."
"Nah. Unless you drive it hard on the right road it's no different than a 135."
"OK, I'll take the Challenger."
Eat up, Fatty
While it can do twisty mountain roads, the Challenger isn't drawn to them like the 1 M.
At the end of the breakfast buffet, you don't have to explain to anyone why you took the apple. Nobody cares about apples. The 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe is like that. It's the safe answer to a singular problem. It's extremely fast and immensely effective as a driving tool. And when you appreciate it on those terms, there are precious few cars as good.
And that's precisely the problem. You'll need no terms to appreciate the 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8. No racetrack, no mountain road, no measuring instruments, nothing but a heavy right foot. It's as far from a sterile expression of speed as can be created. It's loud, raw, unapologetically American and as quick as the M Coupe in the quarter-mile. It is speed and charisma.
And the explanation for why you bought it? Well, which do you prefer...apples or doughnuts?
1st Place: 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392
The Challenger is an exercise in gratuity — all passion and no poise. And sometimes that's better than raw numbers.
2nd Place: 2011 BMW 1 Series M Coupe
The M Coupe is capable of wicked speed and is superbly calculated and precise. It is why we put words between the numbers.
Track Test Results
2011 BMW 1 Series M
As-tested MSRP $49,585
0-30 mph (sec.) 1.9
0-45 mph (sec.) 3.2
0-60 mph (sec.) 4.5
0-75 mph (sec.) 6.6
1/4-mile (sec. @ mph) 12.9 @ 107.7
30-0 mph (ft.) 25
60-0 mph (ft.) 103
Slalom, 6 x 100 ft. (mph) 71.3
Skid pad, 200-ft. diameter (lateral g) 0.96
Acceleration Comments - Dropping the clutch at 2,500 rpm provided the best launch with only a minor bit of wheelspin, and then the tires hooked up and I could very quickly feed in full throttle. Short-shifted at 6,000 (even though redline is 7,000) as the twin-turbo runs out of steam up high. The six-speed manual gearbox allows for incredibly quick, buttery-smooth, error-free shifts every time.
Braking Comments - Superb stopping every time. Pedal has very firm feel and a short stroke. The 1 M exhibits only a minimal amount of dive and tracks perfectly straight. Very little tire squeal or ABS commotion; short stops and no fade.
Handling Comments - Skid pad: The 1 M Coupe goes inot a slight understeer mode around the skid pad, and surprisingly the chassis was not as willing to change this attitude via drop-throttle as would be expected. Yet the time was quick, and the grip is obviously excellent. Steering is quick and has a good weighting. Slalom: This car makes entering the slalom at 70 mph seem like no big deal. The 1 M is very composed, using its plentiful front grip to get around the cones. It's quite the slalom car, due to all that adhesion as well as its short wheelbase and relative narrowness. At least compared to, say a Dodge Challenger. The 1 M was equally adept using the MDM setting, with just a bit of brake added by the computer to keep the car in line. Without doubt, this is a very well-engineered car.
2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8
As-tested MSRP $47,565
0-30 mph (sec.) 2.1
0-45 mph (sec.) 3.2
0-60 mph (sec.) 4.7
0-75 mph (sec.) 6.6
1/4-mile (sec. @ mph) 12.9 @ 111.0
30-0 mph (ft.) 26
60-0 mph (ft.) 106
Slalom, 6 x 100 ft. (mph) 66.6
Skid pad, 200-ft. diameter (lateral g) 0.91
Acceleration Comments - Difficult car to launch cleanly and consistently. It wants to either spin or wheel hop. Best run came with a 2,300-rpm launch, progressive clutch take-up with minor initial wheelspin and almost zero hop. Six-speed manual gearbox was better than expected, with positive, though slightly long throws, but willing to be shifted quickly. I had to be careful not to run into harsh rev limiter, though.
Braking Comments - Long pedal travel with spongy feel; neither aspect improved or worsened. The Challenger tracks straight but there's a lot of ABS commotion and it feels like the ABS lets the tires slide more than usual. Still, very short stops and no fade.
Handling Comments - Skid pad: Steering is woefully inadequate. Very light and gives little feedback about the front tires. But the front tires exhibited lots of grip, especially for such a big and heavy car. ESC on cut throttle aggressively. Slalom: Maybe because we ran the BMW first and the Challenger second, but this particular 392 just didn't feel quite as tight as the automatic version we tested several months ago. Steering is slow and overboosted, and the sheer width of the Challenger makes it a, you guessed it -- challenge -- to get around the course without clipping any cones. The grip is there, but the suspension and steering are not.
but that little 1 series twin turbo might be a real terror with some mods and tuning. 
06-30-2011, 04:54 AM
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That'd be an awfully hard choice, but with the kind of roads available around here and the type of driving I like to do, I'd probably have to go with the 1M Coupe in this case. Nice write-up though.
06-30-2011, 10:28 AM
#5
oh my god did we just read a decent comparison between a euro and american car? Very happy to see some of our cars are gaining some respect back and its not all about high strung euro cars with interior this interior that and the hp per liter blah blah blah
maybe hell has begun to melt for summer!
maybe hell has begun to melt for summer!
06-30-2011, 01:03 PM
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oh my god did we just read a decent comparison between a euro and american car? Very happy to see some of our cars are gaining some respect back and its not all about high strung euro cars with interior this interior that and the hp per liter blah blah blah
maybe hell has begun to melt for summer!
maybe hell has begun to melt for summer!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading that article. Well written and comes to the same conclusion that I'd make myself.
06-30-2011, 06:01 PM
#7
Douchebag On The Tree
Why in the hell does the Challenger come with 255 tires?! The 265s on the 1 series look absolutely meaty and spectacular, but those doughnut spares on the challenger just look...well, meh.
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07-01-2011, 01:16 PM
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Nicely written article. Glad they didn't try to determine the winner on the performance numbers but instead in the manner they did. I would get the SRT8, drop it and throw wheels and tires on it and that's it really.
07-02-2011, 06:42 PM
#12
Nearly $50K for a Challenger??? Really???
Give me a $33K Volkswagen Golf R. It's not quite as fast at the drag strip if you get a perfect launch in these 2 RWD cars. I bet in the bends the BMW 1M would have a it's hands full and the Challenger would be lost after the first turn.
Give me a $33K Volkswagen Golf R. It's not quite as fast at the drag strip if you get a perfect launch in these 2 RWD cars. I bet in the bends the BMW 1M would have a it's hands full and the Challenger would be lost after the first turn.
Last edited by 1CAMWNDR; 07-02-2011 at 06:49 PM.
07-02-2011, 07:12 PM
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Wow. Never realized how stout those little Ms are. Exhaust only LS1 times in the quarter with incredible handling figures. I will add that I'm impressed with the Challenger's skidpad results even more. That thing weighs as much as a 2wd, SCSB Silverado and pulls numbers like that? Must be in the tires. I'd like to see what that 6.4 could trap in a lighter car.
What disgusting things I would do to have that Hemi to drop into a Foxbody.
What disgusting things I would do to have that Hemi to drop into a Foxbody.
07-02-2011, 09:34 PM
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07-02-2011, 10:07 PM
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07-03-2011, 07:21 PM
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It's close in price to an M3, sure... but the whole reason they made it was to try and get back to the light/nimble feeling of the original E30 M3. And to a lot of people, feel is just as important as the numbers.
07-03-2011, 07:51 PM
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I would take the 1M even though I would love to take a drive in the Challenger. but $50k for either? I would find a different car.....................................Corvette.
07-06-2011, 02:02 PM
#20
Honestly I'd take the Challenger with an automatic and just cruise. Yeah its a boat, but I just love the styling and power. Its not really a sports car IMO, just a boulevard cruiser with a big honking motor in it, in much the same tradition as the 60's Charger or a mid 60's Impala SS with a 396 or 427 big block under the hood.
If I were looking for a BMW, I'd stick with the 330i coupe. It doesn't weigh any more than the 1 series, same motor, and the styling is a lot crisper. More room, same price, great handling, and a more compliant ride.
If I were looking for a BMW, I'd stick with the 330i coupe. It doesn't weigh any more than the 1 series, same motor, and the styling is a lot crisper. More room, same price, great handling, and a more compliant ride.